Pubdate: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2006 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: Monique Beaudin Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) TREATING ADDICTS WITH KIDS GETS RESULTS Innovative Program To Spend $11.5 Million After years of addiction to alcohol, crack and cocaine, a 37-year-old Montreal woman is crediting an innovative treatment program for helping her stay clean for nearly a year. And Nathalie says she couldn't have done it without the daily presence of her 7-year-old son, who attended the Portage residential treatment program in the Laurentians with her. "I had tried other programs, and never succeeded," said Nathalie (who did not want her last name published.) Now Quebec and a private foundation will spend $11.5 million over the next five years to treat female addicts and their children, as well as pregnant women. Portage will run the program in downtown Montreal. The Fondation Lucie et Andre Chagnon will supply half the money, as part of its focus on preventing child poverty, former Videotron owner Andre Chagnon said yesterday. According to Portage, hospitals report that since 1981, an estimated 10 per cent of babies in the city's east end are affected by their mothers' cocaine use. In addition, nearly one-quarter of Quebec women say they have consumed alcohol while pregnant. Despite those figures, there are few treatment options available for addicted mothers and their children, Youth Protection Minister Margaret Delisle said yesterday. Recent North American research shows treating women and their children together gets better results than treating them separately, said Portage president Peter Howlett. The new program will treat 75 women and children under the age of 8 each year. Nathalie said having her son with her helped prepare her for a life without drugs or alcohol. "I learned that I didn't need to have a drink to deal with the stress of taking him with me to go grocery shopping," she said, adding alcohol had been part of her life since she was 8 years old. Since completing the program last month, Nathalie and her son have moved away from Montreal, and she has left behind her stressful career working with teenagers. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom